Saffron's Fantasy Life REWRITTEN
by Miko 2495
Summary: This is basically the rewritten version of 'Saffron's Fantasy Life' (as you can tell from the title) the only difference is that this one is not a sequel to anything. Just a story on it's own.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a rewritten version of 'Saffron's Fantasy Life'.**

 **Why am I rewriting it? Mainly because I want to experiment. The previous version is a sequel to my Dragon Quest IX fanfic so I was thinking what it would be like if the story was a not a sequel, so this was made.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Fantasy Life, just my oc, Saffron.**

 **Enjoy.**

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Chapter 1: Getting a Life

The rays of the morning sun leaked through a pair of cream-coloured curtains and lit up the small attic room that only consisted of a wooden wardrobe and a single bed with a lump. The lump squirmed at the sun's light and then a young girl emerged from under the duvet. As her light brown arms reached up towards the ceiling, her long, black locks of wavy hair cascaded down her back and pooled around her waist. She had one of her red cat-like eyes open to adjust to the sudden brightness of her room before opening the other one. The girl let out a loud yawn before getting out of bed.

As her feet touched the wooden floor, there was a knock on her door and a chubby woman with bushy brown hair entered with a big smile on her face.

"Good morning, Saffron! I hope y-" the woman started before taking a good look at the girl and frowning, "Miss Ryudo…I know you just woke up but you're a young woman. Show some decency."

"Huh?" was Saffron's response and she looked at her down at her body. Instantly, she remembered that she was still in her underwear from when she went to bed last night. She chuckled sheepishly and swiftly grabbed her dressing gown from the footboard and covered herself. With a smile, Saffron apologised, "Sorry Pam."

Pam continued to frown for a moment before switching into a similar grin, "Nah. Don't worry. I was the same at your age."

Saffron's smile grew a little wider as she was grateful to have a fun-loving landlady who was kind enough to let her live in the small attic room even though she had little money. Pam then asked her if it was true that she finally chose a Life. The girl walked to her wardrobe and opened it. She begun to rummaged through it as she explained to Pam that the Life she chose is what she would call her "Main Life" as she plans to tackle all twelve of them at once. The woman was shocked at her choice (and the way she said it so casually) and asked if it's possible.

"There are rumours that a man did it," Saffron replied, doing up the buttons of the white blouse she had put on, "Besides, according to Taylor, you can switch anytime you like and go up the ladder at your own pace. I'll be fine."

"That's true but why all? Why not just one or two?"

Saffron thought about it for a minute before answering, "I honestly don't know. Maybe once I get started, I will find my reason."

There was a silence. Saffron wondered if her landlady was thinking of something to say or did her mind wondered to something irrelevant.

Then, Pam said, "Well get dressed and meet me outside. There's a letter for you and I think it's from the King."

Saffron made a noise of affirmation and when she heard the door shut behind her, she sighed.

It has been roughly six months since Saffron stumbled into Castele during a cold and stormy night and begged Pam to give her a place to live. Ever since then, Saffron has been adapting herself to her new lifestyle in this little town as well making new friends like Taylor and Isobel. Her only regret is leaving her old friends behind and she often asks herself why didn't she take them with her so that they all can be free.

"Saffron!"

The call of her landlord brought her mind back to the present and she quickly put on a cardigan, a skirt and a pair of brown flats and rushed out of her room. As usual, she was greeted with the noise of the nattering of the townspeople, the calls of merchants and the laughing of the children. Looking down, she could see Pam waving an envelope to her. The girl hurried to her and took the envelope. It was white with a gold border and at the back was the royal seal meaning it was from the King. Opening it, she found a letter saying:

 _Dear Saffron_

 _Upon hearing that you have chosen a Life, I have requested your attendance to the Royal Court once you have received your licence._

 _King Erik of Castele_

"I was right!" Pam squealed in delight, "It was from the King!"

"Don't you ever get tired of reading my mail?" Saffron asked, knowing that this wasn't the first, second or third time Pam checked her mail for something juicy and scandalous.

Pam pouted, saying how she often weeps for Saffron's low regard towards her youth and took it upon herself to spice it up a little even if it means checking the mail for love letters.

' _Just how old does she think she is?'_ Saffron thought. Nevertheless, she smiled at her landlord's enthusiasm and accepted the small piece of chocolate before she left to go to the town's guild office to get her license.

The guild office was not hard to find and it was a five minute walk from her house. By the time Saffron was at the front door, she had already finished her chocolate. As she entered, the guild master looked up from his desk and greeted her with a jolly laugh, "Ho ho ho! I guess you're here for your license, eh lass? Finally chosen a Life?"

Saffron smiled and responded with, "Actually, I'm planning to tackle every Life but I'll start with Hunter for now."

"Aye, wise choice," the guild master agreed. He turned his back to her and searched around his desk behind the counter. After some shuffling and rustling, he finally came across what he was looking and gave Saffron a card, "Here's your Novice License. Don't be losing it now, you hear?"

The newly appointed Hunter looked at the card and imagined what challenges might lie ahead when suddenly…

" _EEEEEEEEEK!"_

A high pitched shrill was heard from outside. Saffron looked at the door and listened to muffled voices. It sounded like a girl was begging for something but the man she was begging to sounds really mad and wouldn't abide her wishes without some form of punishment. Worried about the girl's safety, Saffron put her license in her pocket and dashed out of the office to see what the commotion was. Outside, in the centre of town, was two grown men; one brawny and blonde and the other short and stumpy, who looked like they were ganging up on…a tiny butterfly?

"Please let me go!" a little girl's voice (which Saffron can only assume it belonged to the butterfly) pleaded.

"After what you said to us!?" the blonde man bellowed, "No way! Still…a talking butterfly is rare."

"Y-Yeah," the short man concurred with delight, "We'll be eating well tonight."

"Y-Y-You're going eat me?!" the butterfly asked, voice trembling in fear.

"Nah," the blonde man cackled, "We'll sell you instead for a lot of Dosh."

It was at this point, the girl sighed. Everyone knew who the two men were: Pierre and Butch, brothers and self-proclaimed crooks. No-one has deemed them a threat since all they do is pathetic money-making schemes, collect mushrooms and dine and dash. Pierre is the older of the two and considers himself as a handsome playboy who ladies secretly love. From time to time, he'll flirt with various women and used to flirt with Saffron before she gave him a thrashing last night.

Butch, as Saffron likes to believe, is mainly misunderstood and is judged due to his older brother's reputation. There has been rumours that he's an animal lover and when Pierre is not around, he behaves like good boy. He may not be the brightest crayon in the box but anyone could see he greatly admired his brother.

' _That's probably the reason why he follows Pierre almost everywhere.'_ Saffron thought. She made her way through the crowd where the three were and called out, "What are you two up to this time?"

Pierre and Butch turned their attention towards her and so did the butterfly. They were quite surprised to see her standing there with her hands on her hips. Pierre soon sneered at her saying that it was none of her business. The girl smirked and said that she couldn't help but notice how low they went as to pick on a tiny butterfly.

"U-Um excuse me?" the butterfly spoke up in a mild manner, "I appreciate you trying to h-help but I'm f-fine. I have to deal with these r-ruffians myself!"

Pierre's face went red with anger at the insult and bellowed, "What did you just call me?!"

The butterfly whimpered, realising her mistake and screamed as he marched towards but Saffron got in between them.

"That's enough. Just go back to collecting mushrooms before someone gets hurt." she commanded in a stern tone.

Pierre growled in response but he then switched back to his usual overly-confident self and grinned, "Heh. If you want to save the butterfly _that_ badly, give us all your Dosh."

' _Looks like Pierre's getting desperate.'_ the girl thought and brought out the empty wrapper that the chocolate was in. When she informed them that this was all she had, Pierre did not believe her and ordered Butch to search her. Butch hesitated. Saffron could tell that he wanted to go against his brother but with the state he's in now, it wouldn't be wise. He slowly went towards her and gave an apologetic look. Feeling sorry for the guy, the girl returned the same expression and turned her pockets inside out, further proving that she has nothing more to give.

Butch informed his brother but he did not respond. Pierre had his eyes on something else that was on Saffron's person. Pierre gave her a smug look and said, "I don't know who you're trying to fool, little girl. I see that little trinket on your neck and you're going to give it to m-huh?"

Pierre was pretty he was charging towards the girl but all of a sudden, she vanished and then…

 _BAM!_

Pain struck him right in the stomach and he felt his breakfast steadily rising up his throat while everything was going in slow motion. Looking down, he's finds Saffron pushing her fist against his stomach. It took him a moment to realise what happen before he fell to his knees and clutched his stomach.

"Brother!" Butch cried as he rushed to Pierre's aid and helped him up. Pierre growled at his opponent and limped away, yelling over his shoulder, "This is far from over!"

The Hunter let out a breath in relief. The problem was gone but she felt as if she was forgetting something.

' _Oh! The butterfly!'_ she remembered. The tiny creature hasn't said a word since Saffron stepped in to save her and she was now perched on one the benches, safe from harm. The butterfly looked really worried and asked if she was alright. This surprised Saffron as she was sure the butterfly would fly away. She assured the butterfly that she was fine and the insect said goodbye and fluttered away. Saffron mumbled a "goodbye" and continued making her way to the castle. It was located at the far north of town and had three separate parts: on the left side of the castle is the Paladins' Hold and on the right is the Royal Castele Library as well as a small alchemist lad. Saffron walked down the centre and pushed through the double doors that led to the castle itself.

Just like any castle Saffron has seen through her travels, the castle's reception hall had a high ceiling. However, she was surprised to see not much interior; just a pair of armoured statues standing on either side, unlit candle stands, small arched windows and a red carpet stretching along the shiny tiled floor. The Minister welcomed her with a warm smile and informed her that the King was waiting for her in the Royal Court upstairs. She went upstairs to another set of double doors and was about to push through when one of the guards by the door stopped her.

"Halt!" the guard ordered, "This the Royal Court. We do not allow anyone to pass these doors unless they are in appropriate attire!"

' _They're kidding, right?!'_ Saffron thought.

"Well, you don't need to be in formal attire from head to toe," the other guard interjected, "I'm afraid your um…look…goes against the royal protocols! This is the King we're talking about so maybe where a tie or bow or something…"

' _Nope. They're not kidding.'_ the girl mentally corrected herself. If she was in her nightwear, she would understand completely but they wouldn't let in because she not wearing a bow? She was sure that was not mentioned in the invitation. The Hunter was wondering on how she would get a bow when she heard a familiar voice cry, "You meanie!"

Looking over her shoulder, she could see the butterfly from earlier at the entrance trying to get past the Minister.

"Hush! Keep your voice down!" the elderly man ordered in a low tone.

But the butterfly refused to comply and begged, "Oh please let me in!"

Curious, the raven haired girl went back the entrance to see what the commotion was.

The butterfly noticed her and cried, "This man's being a meanie! He won't let me see the King."

"I'm not being mean!" the Minister argued, "I was just saying that the King is a busy man and he has no time to listen to the jabbering of a sparkling, talking butterfly. Now, I'm sorry but I have to ask you to leave."

With that, the Minister went back to his post. The butterfly was still fuming about the prejudice views on a butterfly but still was kind enough to ask, "What you doing here in the castle?"

"I was personally invited by the King himself…" Saffron explained, "…and they turned me away for not wearing a tie."

"That's horrible!" the butterfly exclaimed, "Are all royalty and nobility like this!?"

"From personal experience, I can easily say that it's _not_ always like that with nobility. Some are pretty cool people."

There was a moment of silence before the butterfly exclaimed that she had a brilliant idea that would guarantee their audience with the King. This made Saffron a little sceptical because the last time a tiny person with butterfly wings told her they had a brilliant idea, she almost got eternal imprisonment.

"I dunno…" Saffron said with uncertainty.

"Don't worry. Just lift your chin up a bit."

Seeing that she had very little options that did not include storming into the palace, Saffron sighed and did as she was told. She raised her chin slightly and the butterfly flew over and settle just below the blouse's collar. The girl felt the light pressure of something cold pushed against the centre of her collar bone and she asked, "Are you okay down there? If it's uncomfortable, I can…"

The butterfly assured her that she was fine and it shouldn't take long. Saffron went back upstairs again and- just like las time- she was stopped by the guards. Surprisingly, they mistook the butterfly as a bow tie and let her through without any questions.

Despite encountering a sparkly talking butterfly, Saffron did not expect to find a little blonde haired boy sitting on the throne with a well-dressed woman standing next to him. She sniffed the air a little and detected no dwarf blood, just human blood and a faint scent of celestial blood (which she can only guess it's from the butterfly).

"So, you're finally arrived," the little boy greeted, "I am Erik, Castele's eleventh King and ruler of the realm."

King Erik went through his speech on how many citizens of Castele have pursued many varieties of Life in order for the kingdom to prosper and he congratulates her on choosing a Life.

"Er…" the King paused and thought for a moment, "Um… what Life was it again?"

The woman giggled and said, "Darling, really!"

' _Please, for the love all things holy tell me this woman is his mother!'_ Saffron mentally screamed even though the answer was obvious at this point. The boy dismissed his forgetfulness and says that he's sure that Saffron's Life will lead her down a path of wonder and excitement. The butterfly was thrilled to see the King.

"Aww," she whispered, "He looks so cute…like a little boy!"

"That what scares me," Saffron mumbled, hoping that the King won't notice.

He did notice and he smiled, "You do not need to mumble to yourself as the dry formalities and boring speeches are over."

The girl let out a sigh of relief knowing that this King was laid back. The last King wanted her in the dungeon simply for refusing to marry his eldest son. She was lucky those pirates were nearby to distract him.

After being introduced to his wife Ophelia and his absent daughter, Laura, King Erik gave another speech. Saffron then received three gifts from the royal family: three hundred Dosh, a map of Reveria and a set of novice Hunter gear which she was asked to try on in the King's Chambers before returning. She was then instructed to meet her Life Master who should be somewhere in the east of Castele. The girl left the castle and the butterfly hopped off.

"Wow!" she breathed out, "That was incredible. I never knew the King would be that young."

"Neither did I," Saffron agreed, taking the weird hat off her head, "I'm gonna assume he's cursed."

"Well… I think it's time we parted ways. It was nice knowing you." the small insect mumbled the last part and she slowly flew away. She was only a foot away when she decided to turn around and say, "H-Hey um… is it okay if I stay with you?"

"Huh? Why?" Saffron asked, raising a brow.

"I…It just occurred to me that a butterfly's life is not all that great and…well… I could really use some company."

Saffron thought about it carefully. On one hand, she didn't feel the need for a companion as she has travelled alone for six months and it wasn't like she was going on a life changing adventure soon. On the other hand, the butterfly did give her easy access to the Royal Court and ever since the Pierre, she can't help but feel sympathy for the tiny insect and strangely attached. Eventually, she decided to let the butterfly stick around.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" the butterfly cheered, "By the way, you may call me… Flutter. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Saffron replied.

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 **So that's chapter 1 done. On to chapter 2**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this took so long. I was working on it little by little but I was also putting it off because I was stressing to much about publishing on an earlier date. Anyway...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Fantasy Life, just Saffron.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Life of a Hunter

The bell made a small 'ding' as Saffron entered Castele's General Store. She has changed back into her blouse and skirt and had a small bag on her back and a pouch tied to the hip of her skirt. Flutter was perched on her shoulder and she was amazed with the various items on display in the shop; plush toys, books, positions, fruits. It was as if this place had it all.

"Um… Saffron?" Flutter called to get her friend's attention, "Aren't we supposed to meet your Life Master?"

"In a minute Flutter," Saffron replied and strolled to the counter, "Hey shopkeep."

The shopkeeper- Jane- turned to her customers and smiled brightly, "Ah Saffron. Welcucumberlumcome to my store."

' _Again with the tongue twister,'_ the girl thought. She had asked about the strange greeting before and Jane showed her a diary entry written by Rupert, the young alchemist who has a crush on a girl as well as terrible luck. According to the diary, he came up with the greeting on a really hot day and it boosted the sales of cucumbers. After that, it became the shop's greeting.

"So, what can I do for you today?" the shopkeeper asked.

Saffron place a laundry bag on top of the counter and explained that she had some clothes that she didn't need. Jane peeked inside the bag and gave a confused look, "Isn't this…the equipment for the Hunter Life?"

"The equipment the King gave you?" Flutter added, "Saffron, you can't sell that! It's a gift from the royal family."

The Hunter knew that Flutter was going to say that but that still didn't change her mind about selling it. She told the butterfly that apart from the weird design, the reason why she's selling it is because she didn't really need it and if she did, she can always find the shop specifically for Hunters.

Jane took the bag and in return gave her forty Dosh. Saffron thanked Jane and said goodbye as she exited out of the shop.

She then walked through the Artisans District and went through the gates that led her to the east part of Castele where she spotted her master's house on of the hill south of her. As she made her way there, Saffron passed another house where a young Magician was teaching the younger children the basics of magic. The Magician saw Saffron passing by and waved, "Morning Saffron! Congratulations on getting a Life!"

The Hunter noticed her and waved back. Flutter wondered how many friends the girl had.

They came to a red house with a yellow roof and Saffron's Life Master, Fern was doing target practice with her bow and arrow. The brown-haired woman was a little unenthusiastic about taking in new pupils (since the last one she took on was lazy and not dedicated to his training) and turned Saffron away. But when the girl told her that the King himself has sent her, Fern then knew she had no choice in the matter.

"Alright," she said, handing Saffron a bow, "If you want to be my pupil, you first have to prove yourself with this bow. How much do you know about archery?"

"Just the basics." Saffron answered casually.

"Good enough. Go and find my other student, Pete. He should be practising in the sheep pen… although I'm pretty sure he's taking a nap…again."

The scowl on Fern's face was enough to tell Saffron that Pete was the one that made her sceptical about taking on new students. Nevertheless, the Hunter made her way to the said location and spotted a round boy getting up from his recent nap. She approached him as he yawned and greeted, "Hey. Are you Pete?"

"The one and only," Pete replied and puffed up his chest, "They call me Huntin' Pete and I'm Miss Fern's hunting partner, the only one around."

Saffron snorted when he said that.

"If yer wantin' to be the new Hunter in town, sorry pal… Fern is a tough cookie and keeps herself to herself."

' _If that's the case, how in the Hell did you end up as her pupil?'_ Saffron thought. The only logical conclusion she could up with is that he has been badgering her about it to the point where she made him her trainee just to shut him up. Saffron mumbled. "Being a Life Master must be hard."

Pete heard her and asked her if she said something which Saffron denied. He then instructed her to use her bow and arrow to hit the target on the other side of the pen. Flutter flew from the girl's shoulder and settled on the wooden fence to get a better view. Saffron took a closer look at the target as discovered it had small dent marks on the side but none on the painted rings, meaning that Pete hasn't mastered his bow. She sighed and went back to her position. She took a quiver out of the stand and readied her bow. Taking a deep breath, the girl then steadily pulled the taunt string as far back it can go and held it in place. Her eyes narrowed as they were completely focused on the target in front of her.

After a moment of silence, she released her arrow.

The sharp object whizzed through the air plunked itself right in the middle of the target. The female Hunter smiled, happy to know that her skills weren't as rusty as she thought. She turned back to Pete who had his mouth hanging open. Soon, he recovered from his shock and scoffed, "Hmph! Beginner's luck."

That made Saffron wonder if it was beginner's luck, so she fired four more arrows. One by one the arrow hit the bull's-eye, tearing through the arrow before it. Pete returned to being shocked. His eyes were wide and he slightly shook his head in disbelief. Pete's grandmother- Granny Cotton- let out a gleeful cackle, "Bested by Fern's newest pupil. Maybe you're not as good as you say you are."

Pete pouted, "I am good as I say I am! I-I'm just waiting… for the right moment."

"Sure you are. Say, whatever happened to that fellow that stumbled in here?"

Saffron turned around to see a young man lying on the ground. She had noticed him before but assumed he was taking a nap. According to the shepherds, the man is also a Hunter and he came to their pen and weakly asked for a drink and after he drank from the jug next to him, he dozed off. The black haired girl walked closer to the stranger and he shifted his head and groaned as if to say he acknowledge her presence.

"So… hungry…" the Hunter, "H-Hun…eee…honey…"

' _Honey?'_ Saffron thought and turned to the others, "He's hungry. He said he wants honey."

"Why?" Flutter asked.

Granny Cotton replied, "There's an old Hunter's rhyme that goes 'When your belly's empty, eat honey aplenty'. Honey's full of energy."

Saffron saw what she need to do and summoned Flutter to accompany her to get some honey. Pete insisted on coming since he is technically her senior and even though the girls said he didn't need to come, he tagged along anyway.

The group made their way to the south of Castele where they found a honey tree. As they approached nearer to the honeycombs, the tree leaves rustled and two Worker Bees flew out. Saffron readied her bow and arrow and ordered Flutter to get somewhere safe. Since it was two on two, it should be no problem… but when Saffron turned to Pete to ask for help, he was not next to her but behind her, hiding behind a nearby tree.

' _Why do I even bother?'_ Saffron thought. She turned back to her enemy and flinched to see one of them only centimetres away from her. The Hunter just went with her instincts and swung bow at the nearest bee and landed a hit and made it disappear in a puff of smoke. After that, she swiftly picked up a sharp twig from the ground next to her feet and aimed it at the other bee. The monster had already closed its distance its stinger scratched the back of her left hand. The girl hissed in pain and dropped her weapon. As the bee readied itself and charged towards her again. Saffron didn't have enough time to pick up her bow and find another sharp stick so she swiftly took out her bronze dagger from her leather garter under her skirt and slashed it at the bee. The bee vanished in a puff of smoke and the battle was over.

Pete came out from behind the tree as Saffron picked up her bow and exclaimed, "Wow! That was amazing! Not bad for your first- eep!"

The boy squeaked as his partner pointed her dagger towards his throat. She asked, "Mind telling me why'd you ran away instead of helping me?"

Pete gulped and began to sweat under her deadly glare, "Oh… well… uh… b-because I knew you had it… under… control?"

Saffron kept the dagger aimed at his throat before returning it back to her garter. The black- haired Hunter collected the Grassland Honey, called back Flutter and made her way back the pen, ignoring Pete the whole way.

"I thank you both," the Hunter named Fletcher after he slurped some of the honey. He looked about the same age as Fern, "I feel much better now."

"What happened?" Flutter inquired.

Fletcher explained how he was hunting a beast for three days straight and he collapsed because he was so focussed on his target, he forgot to eat.

"What!?" Pete yelled, "What kind of madman forgets to eat!?"

"Certainly not you!" Granny Cotton called from her seat, "You eat like a pig!"

Saffron made no effort to contain her laughter and didn't stop when Pete glared at her. Fletcher then taught her a technique known as the 'Piercing Arrow' and suggested to use it on the Hootwink he spotted in Castele Forest. Owl feathers are usually seen as trophies among Hunters and even though Pete and Saffron are still at Novice rank, Fletcher thinks it's worth a shot.

"As Fletcher said before," Fern said after her two students reported to her, "A Hootwink may prove troublesome for someone of your rank. So if you manage to take it down and bring back one of its feathers, you'll have the makings of a decent Hunter. Also-"

Pete interrupted her before she can finished, "So whoever takes out that Hootwink first is the winner!? This is my time to shine!"

Before the girls could stop him, Pete already ran off with his bow. Fern huffed, saying how she wasn't done talking.

"That's Pete for you: either too lazy or too hasty," Granny Cotton chimed in as she hobbled towards them.

"It's nice to see you Granny Cotton." Fern greeted.

"Listen," the old woman told them, "I can go on all day about Pete's flaws but we all got a life to live so I'll make it short: Pete's becoming too egotistical for his own good and I need Saffron here to knock him down a few pegs. Can you do that, dearie?"

Saffron saluted the old woman. She was more than ready to stop Pete from becoming the next Pierre. She borrowed one of Fern's quiver of arrow and set off to find Pete in Castele Forest.

The forest was quite small so it wasn't hard to find Pete at an opening mumbling to himself.

"Darn! There's no Hootwink here." the fat boy grumbled, "Maybe if I… oh. Took you long enough!" Pete said obnoxiously when he noticed Saffron coming up behind him, "I've scouted the area and I can confirm there are no Hootwinks here. You can thank me later. Anyway, I'm going to the Grassy Plains. You can check here all you like but I guarantee that I'll be the one to take it down first."

The boy rushed past her and headed out of the forest. Saffron, on the other hand, was reminding herself why she agreed to do this in the first place, _'It's all for his own good. I'm doing this to teach him a lesson and not out of spite.'_

Flutter got off the girl's shoulder and scanned the area. It was pretty empty saved for one lone pot and there didn't seem to be any hints that a monster's nearby.

"Maybe we ought to follow Pete," she suggested turning back to the girl, "I can't seem to find a Hootwink anywhere."

"No… there's definitely one nearby," Saffron replied looking past Flutter and towards the pot, "Hootwinks are pretty good at hiding themselves but it's their scent that gives them away."

Flutter was confused on how Saffron knew this and asked if she could smell the said scent. Saffron nodded, saying that she could not only smell the monster's scent but could also hear its claws scratching the branch it's on as it readies its attack. This made the butterfly even more confused and was about to ask another question when she heard a screech from behind her. Turning around, she screamed when she saw a purple owl closing in on her with its claws wide open. The thought of being crushed within the talons made her froze up in fear. It wasn't until an arrow whizzed past her did she come back her senses. Flutter wasted no more time flying away from the monster and Saffron had another arrow ready to fire. Once Flutter was safely behind her, the Hunter fired another arrow and dealt a little more damage than her previous shots. The Hootwink saw her as a threat and flew deeper into the trees, leaving one of its feathers behind. Saffron picked up the feather and hurried back to Fern.

At first, Fern was quite shocked to know that her newest student not only mastered archery but also took down a Hootwink on the same day. But when it was all sunk in, she smiled along with Granny Cotton who was also impressed with the girl's skill. The only one who was not pleased with the results was Pete.

"Whaaat!?" he yelled when his rival presented him the Hootwink feather, "Where did you get that?"

"Fletcher _did_ say that the Hootwink was headed to Castele Forest," Saffron replied, "You just didn't look hard enough."

"Drat! I lost and to a beginner too."

The elderly woman frowned at her grandson and snapped, "The only reason why you lost is because you're not dedicated to your training!"

Pete flinched and whispered to Saffron how his grandma has a habit of ranting about people's flaws once she starts so when she heard her name called out, Saffron flinched as well. Suspense was slowly rising up as the Hunter looked at the grandma in the eyes, waiting for her to say something along the lines of, "Pete may be lazy but he's still a young lad. At least comfort him for his loss!"

But she didn't. Instead, she thanked Saffron for her help and gave her five hundred Dosh as an award. Pete was shocked and protested but they went unheard as Granny Cotton grabbed his ear and dragged him back to the sheep pen.

"Saffron," Fern spoke in a firm voice, "Because you have proved to me that you have potiential, as your Life Master, I now officially make you my pupil."

"Thank you," Saffron replied with the same firmness in her voice, calmly ignoring her grumbling stomach.

"However… I will not be the one to teach you. Nature is your teacher. Become one with Nature and you will surely be at my ranks in no time."

* * *

 **And that's chapter two done. See you next chapter**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Fantasy Life, just Saffron.**

 **Enjoy.**

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Chapter 3: Knowing Reveria

Saffron yawned as she followed Flutter through Castele square. After becoming Fern's official pupil, the girl returned home with her new companion and went to bed. Her plan was to sleep until noon and collect all the other licenses after but Flutter woke her up in the morning saying she wants to know more about Reveria.

As they walked through the square, it was then Saffron realised that even though she has been on this land for six months, she only knows Reveria through the books she read at Castele's library and the stories from travellers that visit the pub. There were two other places in Reveria she has heard about but she hasn't visited them yet. It made her wonder the reason for staying in one town for so long.

' _Usually I just stay in one place for a few days then leave for the next town,'_ Saffron thought, _'But when Pam and the rest of Castele welcomed me with open arms and gave me a place to live… it seems rude to just leave.'_

Saffron was lost in thought until she heard Flutter call her name. The Hunter then noticed they already reached their destination: a statue of a smiling woman holding a lantern.

The Goddess Statue.

The girl looked at the statue then looked at Flutter. She could tell that the two were connected but she didn't know how. The butterfly slowly landed on the edge of the fountain and looked at the statue. She was quiet for a few minutes before turning to Saffron and asked, "Saffron, how… how much do you know about the Goddess Statue?"

"Huh?" Saffron said before saying, "Oh, well not much considering I only heard of her from the old man."

"Anything will do."

"Alright." the girl nodded. She explained that centuries ago, the Goddess saved Reveria from calamity with the power of wishes. After that, she began to grant those wishes as it made her people happy. Soon, the workload became too much but she came up with a clever idea and gave her people the power to grant each other's wishes in the form of jobs which they now call a 'Life'.

"Wow." Flutter said after the explanation, "So she saved an entire world with wishes?"

"I don't know," her friend answered sceptically, "Ever since I've first heard the story from Gramps, I've been trying to figure out how wishes can save the world."

"Have you figured it out yet?"

"No."

"Oh… still, I wonder what people wish for nowadays. What do you wish for Saffron?"

The question caught Saffron off guard as she didn't expect Flutter to ask. Furthermore, she didn't have an answer since has already lost so much already and can get none of it back. Still, she gave it a thought. Considering all that had happened to her, there was only one wish she can think of.

Saffron hesitated, "I… I want to be free and make my family proud."

"What do you mean "you want to be free"?" Flutter questioned.

To the butterfly's displeasure, the girl's silence and her stern expression was enough to tell her that she won't say any more on the matter.

"I also have a wish but that's a secret." Flutter added and then remembered something, "Hey Saffron, can we go to the East Grassy Plains? I heard there are all sorts of things there."

Saffron smiled and said of course but she needed to visit the Guild first to collect the rest of her licences.

After she collected her licenses, she head out to the East Grassy Plains just as Flutter requested. As the name suggests, the plains are full of grass and the monsters roaming there pretty weak except for the Napdragon who won't attack unless it's provoked. East of the plains leads to Snowpeak Mountain, west of the plains are roads that leads to Port Puerto and Al Majiik and north of the plains is the Elderwood where there is a guard station to stop people from going further in. The East Grassy Plains is the perfect place for those who are starting a new life. The butterfly made a sound to show that she was amazed by the vast greenery.

"Amazing," she gasped, "If I wasn't a butterfly, I would be frolicking around without a care in the world."

Saffron interrupted before Flutter began to daydream, "I would advise against that. The monsters here may be weak but there are still bandits lurking about. Also, when the night falls, there will be an increase of wolves and coyotes. So yeah, if you still plan on frolicking, at least be armed with a weapon."

' _Speaking of which,'_ the girl thought and dug in her leather bag. Her hand careful felt around until she felt something big, cold and smooth. Knowing what it was, Saffron wasted no time pulling out the bronze Claymore and scowled at it, obviously not thrilled with the tasks that like ahead as Mercenary. She told Flutter this as the butterfly wanted to know why she suddenly wasn't happy.

"When it comes to weapons and combat," the girl further explained, "I usually try and get used to different types so that if one method doesn't work, I can always try another. However, heavy weapons such as Claymores, Hammers and big Axes are weapons I never seem to get used to because of their weight."

"Their weight?"

"Yeah. Because of their weight, my attacks are slow and my speed decreases. One swing can leave me vulnerable few a seconds. With that in mind, I plan to do the Mercenary tasks first to get them done and out of the way."

Flutter didn't know what to say to that at first but then replied with, "Are you a bookworm?"

"Not exactly. The heavy weapon thing came from experience. I only study if I really have to or if the subject catches my interests."

After swinging her Claymore a few times, Saffron set off into the plains to get started on her tasks.

When the sun has reached its peak, Saffron finished learning the beginning techniques of the Claymore and was finishing the rest of her Mercenary duties with her bow. Her butterfly companion was resting on her shoulder after keeping herself in the air for an hour. She hasn't said anything for a while and it was beginning to make Saffron think there was something troubling her so she asked, "Flutter? You've been quiet ever since we've got here. What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing is wrong." Flutter replied. Surprisingly, it didn't sound forced but genuine, "I just didn't want to distract you with my questions."

"Oh. It's fine. Ask away."

"O-Okay… what was your life like before you came Castele?"

The girl's body jolted into a halt as she was pulling back her arrow. She should've seen this coming. That question was inevitable and yet, she wasn't ready.

She wasn't ready to look back.

She wasn't ready to think about all the humiliation she went through.

She wasn't ready to think about all the things she had lost because of them.

Flutter became increasingly worried as her friend froze at her question and a dark expression was forming on her face. It was honestly scaring her and it took her a few tries to snap Saffron back into reality. Her body moved again and let go of the arrow, making it glide through the air and hit a White Woolie. The dark expression on her face slowly changed into a frown. The butterfly felt bad for overstepping her boundaries and was about to apologise when Saffron spoke first, "I'm not ready to tell you my life story yet. But what I can tell you that things aren't as black and white as they first seem."

With that said, Saffron turned around and made her way back to Castele. Flutter may not know much about life in Reveria but she know right away from Saffron's answer that her past was not a happy one.

A few days later, Flutter decided to stay with Pam while Saffron complete the tasks of her Blacksmith Life. She still felt guilty about before and vowed to drop the topic completely but her curiosity demanded to know how bad Saffron's life was for her not to talk about it.

"Pam?" Flutter called out to the landlady who just finished cleaning the kitchen behind the counter. Pam chucked her cleaning cloth into a wooden bucket with soapy water before attending the butterfly.

"Yes dearie?" she answered with a sweet smile.

"I hope you don't mind me asking this," Flutter said, "But can you tell me how you and Saffron met?"

"Met?" the woman repeated. She looked confused before thinking about it, putting her index finger on the side of her chin, "Well… I can't really call it a "meeting" when truly, I found the girl unconscious on my doorstep."

"Huh?"

"It's true." Pam insisted and went on to recall what happened that night six months ago:

" _Yay! I win again!" Pam cheered as she claimed another victory as well as a good amount of prize money. It was raining heavily outside and the four sisters thought it would be a good idea to gamble with the money they had gained from their respective businesses. None of them remember which of them suggested in the first place but nevertheless, they were glad since it was more fun than just plain card games. The youngest sister, Amy was not happy with Pam's winning streak._

" _No fair! You cheated!" she accused while pointing a finger at the oldest sister._

" _I didn't!" Pam argued, "I'm just really lucky tonight, that's all."_

" _Then you wouldn't mind sharing your winnings, right?" the second oldest sister, Jo interrupted, "You did inherit dad's estate business and you make the most money out all of us."_

 _Pam frowned at this. While all that was true, she wasn't exactly rich enough to throw money away and still have plenty left over. Not only did she need the money to keep the business going but she need to buy food and crafting materials as well as fix the run-down house in the Artisans' District to a more stable living environment. She was about to voice her thoughts when the group heard rapid knocking on the door. The four women were confused and wondered who was out there in the terrible weather and why did they come to the estate office instead of the inn. The sisters were startled out of their thoughts when another set of knocks was heard from the door._

" _Is…Is anyone going to get that?" Beth asked._

 _The three younger sisters then all stared at Pam expectantly. The landlady gave an agitated sigh and got out from her seat, "Alright! I'll go."_

 _She walked cautiously to the door and peeked out its window. As she expected she saw no-one there but decided to open the door and check. She was shocked to find a young girl lying on her doorstep._

 _Her pale brown body was covered by a white long sleeved shirt that looked a little too big for her and a thick black cloak to cover her head. The long raven black hair that fell from her head covered her face however, judging from the soft regular breathing, it was safe to assume she was unconscious. What made Pam worry the most was the bandages that were neatly wrapped about the girl's left calf and right arm. Both of them showed blood seeping through. There was no doubt in her mind that there were more bandages underneath the clothing._

' _The poor thing,' the landlady thought, 'Who would do such a thing?'_

" _Pam~!" Amy called to her sister from the table, "Who is it?"_

" _It's a girl and she's needs help." Pam answered. She turned to her sisters and ordered Amy and Beth to get hot water, medicine and a set of clean clothes while she and Jo carry the girl to the attic room upstairs._

"And that's what happened," Pam concluded, "We took her in, cleaned her wounds and when she woke up, she only told us her name and nothing else."

Flutter couldn't believe her ears. She would've never guessed that her friend was abandoned when she came Castele. She asked if there was anything else and the brown haired woman was about say no when there was something else came to mind.

"While my sisters and I were cleaning Saffron's wounds," the landlady told Flutter, "I found an expensive looking ring on her finger. I assumed it was from a lover that she was forced to leave behind but when I asked her about, she told me to pawn as it was nothing but a terrible reminder."

"What!?"

"I know, right? Who would throw away a beautiful ring like that?"

But Flutter wasn't thinking about the ring. She was more concerned about the mess her friend might be in, _'Saffron, just what on Earth happened to you?'_

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 **That's it for chapter 3. See you guys on chapter 4 (which I already started)**


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